Free Pandora Gets Heart by Carolyn Hennesy

have diced me up for gorgon food!”
    “Now you tell me,” Zeus said. Then he laughed, Peleus laughed, and Hera smiled tightly.
    “I assume Thetis is doing well, Queen of Heaven,” Peleus replied. “I haven’t heard any screaming for a bit, so I think everything is fine. I don’t really know. I’m not allowed to see her now until the unveiling.”
    “Oh, right, right. Quaint mortal custom,” Hera said. “Well, I’m off to the wine bar.”
    Hera turned to walk away.
    “Coming, dearest?”
    “I shall attend in a moment, light of my life,” Zeus said to her without taking his eyes off Peleus. Then softly he said to the king, “She is yours because I trust you, my friend.”
    “Thank you,” Peleus said. “I’ll make her a fine husband.”
    “And she will be a wonderful wife . . . once she calms down.”
    “ZEEEEEUUUUUSSSS!”
    Zeus closed his eyes and sighed.
    “My throne arrived?”
    “It’s waiting for you, Mighty Zeus,” Peleus replied.
    “Good, because I need to sit.”
    Then he turned toward Hera.
    “Right there, my dove of love.”
    He walked away, following his wife dejectedly.

CHAPTER SEVEN
The Ceremony
    Twenty minutes later, Pandy stepped into the small staging room and found Alcie holding out her tray while a young cook loaded it with more tiny cups of soup.
    Alcie tilted her head, indicating that Pandy should meet her outside. After piling more grape leaves and meatballs on her tray, Pandy met Alcie on an adjoining terrace.
    “What?” Pandy asked. “Did you see something? A clue? Lust? Did you find it?”
    “Apples, no. I just wanted to say, wow ! These immortals can eat !” Alcie said.
    “I know! I didn’t think the gods ate anything other than ambrosia and nectar,” Pandy said. “And you know who eats the most? Aphrodite! She’s got the most amazing voice when she talks to you, makes you feel really good, but basically, she’s cleaned off my entire tray, like, three times. This is my sixth refill!”
    “It’s not like she has to exercise,” Alcie said. “But how about those tips, huh? I am raking in some serious coinage just for walking around! Who knew? I may have found a new career path.”
    “And some of it’s gold, Alce. I had to wipe yogurt and boar sauce off of my coins, but I’m certain that some of them are pure gold,” Pandy said. “Alcie, if this party lasts all night, we could be set for a while, no matter where we go.”
    “That is, if Echidna doesn’t try to take it.”
    “Oh, I’d like to see her try. Where are you putting yours?”
    “Everywhere. Girdle, between my toes, behind my ears,” Alcie said.
    “Me too, but that’s not gonna work after a while,” Pandy mused. Thinking fast, she handed Alcie her tray and crept back into the staging room. Taking the covering cloths off two trays of zucchini blossoms stuffed with cracked wheat, she gave one cloth to Alcie and they quickly wrapped their coins in small bundles and hid them behind a stone bench.
    “If you find a better hiding place, let me know,” Pandy said as the two girls walked back into the storage room.
    “ There are my slackers,” Echidna sighed as they entered. She cupped her face in both hands. “You two should have signs over your heads that say ‘Just flog me, flog me please . . . I am begging you to flog me.’ You have been hired to serve, not stand about and chat. The ceremony is about to start. Now get back out there for anyone who wants a last nibble. Then, once Thetis enters the room, I want you both to stand at the top of the stairs just in case any centaurs try to break in and carry off the bride.
    “You’re so tangerine kidding, right ?” Alcie choked.
    “Excuse me, but how are we going to stop centaurs?” Pandy asked. “That’s like using a feather to stop a sword.”
    “You’re not supposed to fight them,” Echidna said. “You’re supposed to distract them. Let them take you instead.”
    “Like Hades!” Alcie yelled.
    “As if!” Pandy yelled at the